He Who Lives by Tyranny
by LaCorelli
Summary: NWZ. Luis Ramone decides to deal with Sir Miles Thackery's threats in a more immediate and direct manner. AU. "He Who Lives by the Sword."


**Disclaimer:** Zorro belongs to ZPI Productions, and "He Who Lives by the Sword" was written by Philip John Taylor. Anything you recognize from the episode doesn't belong to me.

**Author's Notes:** I'm not a drabble writer, but all the recent lovely drabbles did inspire me to write a short story dealing with something that has always bothered me about "He Who Lives by the Sword." For the purposes of the story I am moving one particular line of dialogue from its original spot.

**He Who Lives by Tyranny**

Luis Ramone could feel his humiliation burning him as Thackery dropped the sword he'd taken from him to the floor before sheathing his own. The man didn't even deign to look at him as he turned towards Señorita Escalante. Rising from the floor, Ramone didn't bother picking up his sword before heading out of the tavern door, anger starting to take over from the humiliation.

Zorro was bad enough. The masked bandit humiliated him on a regular basis, but at least he had the decency to hide his identity and disappear after their fights, showing he knew that Ramone would be a danger to him if he didn't. But this man... he did not— was not— going to put up with the same from an arrogant intruder who simply thought that killing the best swordsman would give him mastery over a whole pueblo. At the moment, Ramone remembered how his old friend Enrique Monastario had dealt with such a situation and decided to take a page from his book. Entering his office, he quickly got what he needed and calling to the lancers in the cuartel to follow him, headed directly back to the tavern.

As he entered the tavern he heard the pompous Englishman speaking. "You would all dearly love to see me dead. Excellent! That way everyone knows which side they're on, and life is so much simpler. Until I choose to leave, I own this town."

Raising one of the pistols he'd brought with him, Ramone said, "No you don't, but you can have a souvenir." He fired, hitting Thackery in his sword arm. He was slightly annoyed since he'd been aiming for the man's shoulder, but he wasn't going to let anyone know that.

Thackery clutched at his arm and stared up at Ramone, shock clear in his eyes. "You shot me!"

Ramone's smile widened broadly. "Of course. I can't allow an armed man to threaten to the safety of _my_ pueblo, threaten me and my men, official representatives of the king, and you'd already shown you were a dangerous man with no respect for authority." He looked over at Mendoza. "Get some men and lock this _criminal_ in the cells."

The annoying de la Vega had made his way over to the bleeding Thackery by this time and though Thackery ignored his presence as he continued to stare incredulously at Ramone, bent to examine his arm.

"Alcalde, this man needs a doctor," de la Vega said as he pressed a towel against the man's arm.

Ramone didn't particular care, but since he could more readily gloat over a living than a dead man, he decided to be magnanimous. "Certainly." He glanced at a lancer. "See that Dr. Hernandez is informed. He can examine him once he's been locked up."

Ramone watched Thackery being dragged out with great pleasure. From humiliation to triumph in five short minutes. He wondered if there was a price on Thackery's head. He suspected there might, and he was determined to collect if there was. As he thought with great pleasure of a bounty, he happened to glance at Don Diego and smirked at the expression of disbelief on the man's face. _He'd_ wanted to appease the man. If he'd had his way they'd all have been prostrate at Thackery's feet. Such a weakling, and now the pueblo knew that Ramone wouldn't let anyone else take what was his. And Los Angeles was his. Now he had made it clear that no one had better try to exploit it. At least, no one but him.

The End

**End Notes:** I actually like "He Who Lives by the Sword," especially Diego and Thackery's duel, but I never understood why Ramone put up with Thackery the way he did. There was no mention of the majority of the lancers being away. Thackery wasn't a masked man who struck and ran or a man with a gang of enforcers. He was strutting around making a nuisance of himself without Ramone having any reason to not surround him with lancers or shoot him down, especially since I think this is the one time no one but Diego would have minded seeing Thackery shot.

And yes, a deliberate Disney reference as my first thought when watching this episode was that Monastario would never have put up with Thackery's nonsense. I also have to thank Ghetto Outlaw for his souvenir line as well as his beta work.

Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of my current battle with writer's block, and that you enjoy this odd little story where Ramone comes out indisputably on top. He may never be able to defeat Zorro, but I couldn't resist letting him defeat another villain.


End file.
